VIDEO | Moment Secret Service Tackles Shooting Suspect After White House Correspondents' Dinner Security Breach
The recording captures Secret Service personnel positioned around the site as a dark-clad figure abruptly sprints across the security boundary. In a near-instant response, the agents are seen unholstering their firearms to engage the person suspected of being the gunman.
- World News
- 4 min read
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Saturday shared a video of CCTV footage showing the entry of the shooter at the venue of the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump also referred to the security breach incident and described the sequence of events, stating that an armed individual attempted to force entry into the premises and was subsequently neutralised by security personnel.
Notably, chaos broke out after suspected gunshots were reportedly fired in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, leading to the evacuation of US President Donald Trump and other senior officials from the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance were immediately evacuated from the ballroom by tactical teams and moved to a secure location.
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Taking to Truth Social, Trump posted a grainy CCTV video that he claims was shared for the sake of "transparency."
The recording captures Secret Service personnel positioned around the site as a dark-clad figure abruptly sprints across the security boundary. In a near-instant response, the agents are seen unholstering their firearms to engage the person suspected of being the gunman.
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Pic of alleged shooter
Additionally, Trump circulated images documenting the moment the suspected assailant was taken into custody.
Conservative commentator Karol Markowicz identified the individual as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, in a post on X. Activist Laura Loomer confirmed this as well. Authorities have not yet confirmed the name.
What Trump said on the shooting
Trump, while addressing the press in the briefing room after the incident, said he had also spoken to the security officer who was shot during the attack.
"A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service... One officer was shot, but saved... the vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer, and he's doing great," he said.
The US President further used the security breach at the Hilton to highlight the need for enhanced security infrastructure and to make the case for the ballroom he is constructing at the White House, suggesting that the structure would provide a more secure location for future events.
"It's not a particularly secure building, and I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we're planning at the White House," Trump said during his news conference. "It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure. It's got drone-proof. It's bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That's why Secret Service, that's why the military is demanding it."
Trump hailed the authorities
In a post on Truth Social, Trump hailed the authorities for their prompt and courageous action, stating that the decision on whether to resume the event would be taken by law enforcement officials.
He said, "Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we "LET THE SHOW GO ON" but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we'll just, plain, have to do it again. President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Not the first time
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Trump was targeted. In July 2024, Trump was shot during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He was immediately escorted off stage by US Secret Service agents and taken away in a motorcade. In videos that went viral on social media, Trump could be seen bleeding from his ear.
In a statement, the US Secret Service said that a suspected shooter fired multiple shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue during Trump's campaign rally in Butler on July 13 at 6:15 pm (local time).